Kate Martin hit a 24-foot, left-wing 3-pointer while absorbing contact from Aerial Powers as the Valkyries' lead dwindled to five early in the fourth quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco. The shot produced an immediate, arena-wide roar with fans standing, high-fiving, and stomping as if the shot sealed the outcome. Injured former teammate Caitlin Clark reacted by raising her hands then sitting down in apparent resignation. Martin's basket ignited a 20-13 Golden State run to finish the game, resulting in a 75-63 home victory before the Valkyries' 19th sellout crowd of the season. Coach Natalie Nakase praised Martin's knack for momentum plays and her consistent readiness and smile when delivering key plays.
On Sunday, with the Valkyries looking shaky as a once 20-point lead shrank to just five early in the fourth quarter, the second-year guard rose from the left wing and buried a 3-pointer from 24 feet away while absorbing contact from Fever guard Aerial Powers in her landing space. The roar was instant. A wall of noise reverberated from the nosebleeds down to the courtside seats.
Kate is kind of notorious for momentum plays, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. Those are huge momentum plays and things where the crowd can get behind us. You can kind of say that it puts a little bit of pressure on the opponent when that happens. Credit to Kate for knocking that down and she does it with a smile. She's always ready to play no matter what, no matter when, no matter where, no matter who
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